Sod Cast Generally speaking, most industry folks agree that gardening coverage on TV and radio in Ireland is pretty poor and this has a negative impact on the market for goods and services. Ask those within media circles why it is so, and it all comes back to the same factors: production costs, scale of [...]

The Right Track Barry talks with Tony Williams, Past President of the Irish Landscape Institute The evolution and development of Landscape Architecture in Ireland is a process which evolved in the last quarter of the 20th century but in particular since the formation of the Irish Landscape Institute (ILI) in 1992. Despite advances in organisation, [...]

I'm delighted to announce that the recent Home Renovations Initiative (HRI), which introduced a 13% VAT return on home renovations between 5,000 and 30,000 Euro, has been extended to include garden renovation works carried out by registered contractors. The changes to the initiative have come about in response to extensive lobbying on the part of [...]

Fancy engaging with your garden this spring but not sure where to start? Look no further than the Garden House and their exciting line up of courses with myself and celebrity gardener Maria Staunton. To find out more, visit The Garden House

Pictured on the Garden Expert stage at Bloom this year are Gerry Daily of the Irish Garden, Paddy Gleeson of Woodies DIY and SuperGarden, me and designer Jane McCorkell. We'd been asked to take part in the panel discussion and Q & A on design related issues but spent most of the time talking about [...]

By Jane Powers. This article first appeared in The Irish Times. WE'VE BEEN GARDENING our hearts out for the past decade or so. First, because it was fashionable, and then, because in these challenging times, it gives us a way to connect to the Earth, and to provide us with a bit of food. With [...]

Having recently completed an interview with FETAC , Barry was delighted to be informed that he is to be nominatied to the authenticator panel in the domain of design. The Further Education and Training Awards Council (FETAC) is the statutory awarding body for further education and training in Ireland. FETAC makes quality assured awards that [...]

I'm involved in lots of garden related projects. One of the more recent is a team up with Mediateam, the company behind The Irish Garden magazine and Garden.ie to develop online gardening programs. Here's a short pilot of one of our shows. Let me know what you think!